Japan Art and Cityscapes
Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Sawako Utsumi is a contemporary artist who was born in northern Japan. The art piece above is titled “Utrillo in a New Transcendent Japanese Light.” Accordingly, Utsumi is paying homage to Maurice Utrillo (1883-1955).
Utrillo said, “As recognition for my efforts, I received harsh sarcasm. Still, I pressed onward. In the beginning, I sold my canvases for two francs, and later, little by little, I entered this difficult career as my life’s work.”
Tadashige Ono (art above) was born in 1909 and died in 1990. He was influenced by the ‘proletarian and farmers art movement’ that shaped several artists. Given the significant events of the war period (World War Two – Pacific War), it is noticeable that this art form influenced artists in the early 20th century in Germany, Japan, and Russia.
Utsumi adores the art of L.S. Lowry and often portrays the opposite dimension concerning color, reflection, space, and time. Accordingly, the above art piece titled “L.S. Lowry via Japanese Artist and the Spirit of the Heart” provides various unique dimensions.
Lowry said, “I cannot over-estimate the effect on me at that time of the coming into this drab city of Adolphe Valette… He had a freshness and a breadth of experience that exhilarated his students.”
The final art piece is by Sumio Kawakami (1895-1972). He was born in Yokohama and influenced by Goda Kiyoshi (1862-1938) to a minor degree – while never attending any art school.
Kawakami – similar to the free spirit of Lowry – said: “I was never much in the swim of things as far as prints were concerned. Since I didn’t live in Tokyo I never knew many of the print artists and never was much influenced by them. I’ve just gone my own way, doing what interested me, and hoping it would interest somebody else. If it has, I’m happy.”
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/sawako-utsumi.html – Sawako Utsumi and where you can buy her art, postcards, bags, and other products. Also, individuals can contact her for individual requests.
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/lowry-in-japanese-color-space-and-time-sawako-utsumi.html
http://www.lulu.com/shop/lee-jay-walker/sawako-utsumi-and-her-kindred-spirit/paperback/product-22830732.html – Please click on to order the book.
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/utrillo-in-a-new-transcendent-japanese-light-sawako-utsumi.html
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